MP demands more money for pothole repairs in the North East
Conservative Andrew Bowie is questioning if the Scottish Government has passed on Westminster funding, intended for fixing roads, to local councils.
North East MP Andrew Bowie has called on the Scottish Government to provide nearly ÂŁ50 Million in funding to councils so they can fix badly damaged roads.
In 2020, the UK Government created a £2.5 billion roads “pothole fund” to help English local authorities with their repairs backlog, with £500m paid out every year for the next five years.
ÂŁ48.6m of this was added to the Scottish budget.
But Mr Bowie says he has received numerous complaints from constituents in his West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine region on the condition of their roads.
He's written to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson to ask for evidence that this ring fenced money has made it's way to local authorities.
The Conservative MP said:
“The number one issue raised by constituents on my summer surgery tour was the state of the roads.
“Getting to work, hauling goods and produce, visiting friends and family, taking the kids on a day trip at the weekend – all at the mercy of road conditions which are often substandard, particularly if you happen to live in a rural area.
“The local authority here has budgeted £2.5m for pothole repairs from its core budget, but I think everyone knows that much more is needed. That’s what the pothole fund is there for.
“People are seeing no evidence that this fantastic pot of cash, which could fix 100,000 holes every year, is escaping the Central Belt.
“So I have asked the SNP to outline where that money is going, and tell Aberdeenshire residents that they are going to get a fair share of resources in the future.”
We approached the Scottish Government for comment.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said:
“Maintenance of the local road network is the responsibility of local authorities and it is the responsibility of individual councils to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.
“In 2021-22, Aberdeenshire Council will receive a total funding package of £503.3 million, which includes an extra £19 million to support vital day-to-day services, equivalent to an increase of 4.1% compared to 2020-21.”